Splashin’ Around with Summer Reading

As kids, my sister and I would play a game we liked to call “library.” Essentially this was when we paraded around the house reading. We were wild animals, I know. Now this is where I’d add a cliché about how books have always opened doors to new worlds, sparking curiosity, but for the sake of time, let’s just continue on, shall we?

Without any grueling assigned readings hovering over my head recently, I’ve actually had the time to read a few books just for FUN again, and it’s freaking awesome! If you’ve been following me on Goodreads, then you probably know what I’ve been up to. If not, then here are my thoughts regarding some of the books I read leisurely this summer, including “Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda” and “A Walk to Remember,” among others.

“Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda” by Becky Albertalli

Few things can make me think positively about high school, but this book nailed all of the drama into 300 pages of raw emotion. The characters are relatable, making the reader feel second-hand embarrassment, bliss, frustration and so much more with each page turn of this modern day love story. In fact, the complicated dynamic between Simon and his family, close friends and classmates is just messy enough to capture the unavoidable disasters of day to day life. The writing style, which includes e-mail excerpts, keeps things entertaining, interesting and suspenseful … and who can resist a dog named Bieber?

“The Curious Case of the Dog in the Night-Time” by Mark Haddon

… Speaking of dogs … this next book follows Christopher, a wittily knowledgeable teenager with autism, along his journey of solving a nearly unforgivable mystery. His perspective on life, and everyone and thing within its boundaries, is one-of-a-kind. The author begs the question of who deserves to know the truth or when the truth is absolutely necessary, if ever, all while balancing complicated parent/child relationships. If you’re looking to think from new directions, this could be the read for you.

“Robyn’s Book: A True Diary” by Robyn Miller

All of a sudden I had a memory of reading his book in seventh grade, and I had to pick it up again. Robyn’s Book offers such a creative writing style and an inspiring, tear-jerking story. Just as I remembered, this book portrays a vulnerable, genuine story of the heart-break, daily struggles and triumphs of those fighting life-threatening illnesses, specifically that of cystic fibrosis. Here’s in memory of all those who had no choice but to give up the fight, living to the fullest up until the last breaths with wisdom beyond our grasp.

“That’s What She Said: What Men Need to Know (and Women Need to Tell Them) About Working Together” by Joanne Lipman

If you are in any shape or form associated with corporate America, please drop whatever you are doing and pick up this book. I’m not only excited that I found and read this book, period, but I’m so happy I read this book WHEN I did. With over nine months of official work experience under my belt, I clearly still have so many more lessons to learn. For starters, there are so many ways we can change our daily lives to help every workplace foster diversity, and not just for legal reasons. It sure is about time we stop treating women how men want to be treated and start treating women how they want to be treated, dammit. Man, what an eye-opening read!

“She Caused a Riot: 100 Unknown Women Who Built Cities, Sparked Revolutions & Massively Crushed It” by Hannah Jewell

The thing about millennials is that our media consumption is basically through the roof. Websites like BuzzFeed cater to our every need with cute-sy blogs and listicles that spew news and opinions. These sources differ from traditional media because they often rely on sarcasm and irony to get information across. Here’s where I’m going with this: within the first 10 pages of this book, I was getting very BuzzFeed-y vibes, which I guess could be a good thing or a bad thing depending on your mood. Imagine my surprise when I flipped to the back of the book and found out that Jewell is actually a former BuzzFeed writer. Overall though, this was a nice collection of bada$$ short stories that truly deserve to be shouted from the rooftops. Behind every man, specifically the racist, sexist bigots, is a brave, strong woman. 🤟 Rock on fellow baddies!

“A Walk to Remember” by Nicholas Sparks

Yes, I know it would have been easier just to watch the movie, but instead I did the unspeakable – I rented an audiobook. Having never read or watched this story before, it actually was a pretty entertaining, albeit predictable, read listen. Actually, it had been a while since I dove into any of Sparks’ work, and it was exactly what I was in the mood for … a simultaneously heart-warming and breaking love story.

And that’s a wrap (for now)! Because, well you see, I’ve been trying to join a book club at the library all year, but I just haven’t gotten around to it yet. Stay tuned for this thrilling reading adventure. What books have you read recently? Share your recommendations in the comments.